BY SONI DANIEL
ABUJA (VANGUARD) —The Federal Government has ordered an immediate probe into the
circumstances surrounding the disappearance of N1,763, 965,000 from
accounts of the embattled University of Abuja.
Similarly, the government has directed the Governing Council of the
institution to take urgent steps to recover N266 million trapped in
failed banks and report back to government.
These recommendations are contained in a White Paper on the report of
the Visitation Panel into the affairs of the University of Abuja
between 2004 and 2010.
The panel, which was headed by Prof. D. A. Guobadia, submitted its
report to the government in June last year but the views of the
administration on the submission of the panelists, have just been
released.
Disappearance of huge sums of money from UniAbuja
In the White Paper, which was exclusively obtained by Vanguard
yesterday, the government frowned at the disappearance of the huge sum
of money and other financial recklessness which took place in the
institution within the period under review.
The 54-page report, which covered the 10-point term of reference
given to it by the government, detailed how the university was made to
lose various sums of money and its gradual degeneration into the present
state.
The report stated: “The periodic reports of the internal auditors
revealed a number of weaknesses and complete non-adherence to suggestive
measures by the management of the university.
“Panel observed that out of N10,681,315,000 cash generated by the
University of Abuja in 2009/2010 financial year, only N8,917,730,000 was
lodged in banks while the balance of N1,763,965,000 was not banked.
“By December 2010, the amount had not been banked and no action had
been taken to discipline those involved in the disappearance of the said
amount”.
The White Paper said, “The visitor frowns at the inability of the
management to exercise financial control over the institution and hereby
directs the council to take immediate steps to recover all the money”.
Apart from the missing funds, the panel noted with dismay the
non-maintenance of records of grants and subventions released by the
government to the institution over the years.
Besides, the panel discovered to its chagrin that most items which
should have been procured through contracts were purchased by cash over
and above approved limit of N200, 000.
The panelists noted, “the frequency of individual cash advances for
purchases was high, officers were granted multiple advances and many of
them not retired. Thus, at the end of December 2010, the unretired
advances stood at N210, 318, 712.00.
N.2m unretired advance
The government also raised the alarm on the use of 97 bank accounts
in 16 banks by the authorities of the university and asked for a
reduction in the number, as well as the use of e-banking to reduce the
burden of those dealing with it.
It was not, however, clear yesterday whether the implementation of
the White Paper will still go ahead or be put on hold until another
visitation panel, currently looking into affairs of the troubled
institution, turns in its report.
The Special Presidential Visitation Panel was empanelled recently
following the crisis over the suspension of many courses following
non-accreditation by the relevant supervisory bodies, owning to observed
inadequacies on the part of the institution.
The scrapping of many of its academic programmes prompted the aggrieved students to petition the Presidency to intervene.
The fate of the students now hangs in the balance except the
government takes immediate steps to find a remedy to their problems.
Other members of the Guobadia-led panel, were Prof A. Uba, Mrs. O. O.
Odegbaro, Mrs. Elsie Achukwu, Eng. J. O. Fadare, Alhaji M. J. Yusuf and
Mr. H. O. Anaziah.
Monday, 13 August 2012
Uneasy Calm as Kogi Awaits Decision on Wada’s Election
Captain Idris Wada (rtd) of Kogi State
By Tobi Soniyi
Three months after he adjourned to deliver judgment in the suit filed
by the winner of the aborted Peoples Democratic Party’s governorship
primary in Kogi State, Jilbrin Isah, challenging the validity of the
primary that produced Captain Idris Wada, Justice Abdul Kafarati of the
Federal High Court is yet to deliver judgment.
The judge had on Wednesday May 9 said he would, on June 29, decide
whether or not the judgment of the Supreme Court declaring that a
political party had the exclusive right to choose its flag bearer in an
election was binding on the controversy arising from the Kogi State
Governorship primaries.
The judgment however was not ready on June 29 which resulted in
adjournments. Latter, the trial judge was said to have travelled for
conference even before the court went on vacation. A court source said
the earlier the judgment could be deliver would be September when the
court resumes from vacation.
Isah is asking the high court to declare him as the person nominated to
contest for the office of the Kogi State governor under the PDP.
While the governor had since continued with the day-to-day
administration of the state, supporters of Isah are hoping that the
court judgment will be in their favour. Both parties have high
expectations.
Before the case was adjourned for judgment, lawyers representing Isa,
the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Wada made
efforts to persuade the judge to rule in their favour.
While INEC and Wada argued that the Supreme Court judgment in the
case of former Bayelsa Sate Governor Timipriye Sylva against INEC
supported their position, but Isah’s lawyer, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN
disagreed.
The Supreme Court had on April 20 dismissed the appeal filed by Sylva
who sought to be declared the authentic candidate of the PDP for the
Bayelsa State governorship elections on the grounds that he won the
January 2011 primary.
But the Supreme Court among other things held that the January primary
won by Sylva in preparation for the election of April 2011 had faded
into irrelevance following the cancellation of that election by INEC.
The apex court further held that since Sylva did not participate in the
later primary which was won by Seriake Dickson, he could not challenge
the legitimacy of the later primary.
Culled from Thisday Live
Police avert another attack on Plateau council
Plateau State governor, Jonah Jang
Another
bloody attack was on Monday averted in Kwakwi village, Riyom Local
Government Area of Plateau State, where similar attacks claimed the
lives of two prominent lawmakers and several others last month.
The
state police command in collaboration with the youths of the area
caught one of the assailants who came in the dead of the night to attack
a family in the village.
The assailant was in possession of an AK 47 rifle.
Parading
the suspected attacker before journalists at the Police Headquarters in
Jos, the state Police Commissioner, Emmanuel Ayeni, said,“at about
2.00am the youths of the village observed the movement of the attackers,
mobilized and informed the police who moved swiftly to the area."
The
CP, who confirmed that no one was killed, appealed to citizens to
remain vigilant and give information to the police in order help fight
crime.
Source: The Nation
About 80% of businesses in Nigeria paid bribe - World Bank
World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim
The
World Bank has said about 80 per cent of businesses in the country paid
bribes to government officials on request to remain in business.
The bank stated this in its 2011 report on investment climate in Nigeria, released on Monday.
The
report said that one-third of micro-enterprises reported that “informal
payments/gifts to government officials” were commonplace, suggesting
that registered firms confront more requests for such bribes.
Also
only 20 per cent of micro-enterprise firms reported having advance
knowledge of the amount of the payment required to “get things done.”
Such
uncertainty, according to the report, added to the challenge posed by
informal payments, since the amount to be set aside were not planned
for.
World
Bank reported that informal payments/gifts represented approximately
1.2 per cent of annual sales for all micro-enterprises.
The
report went on to state that micro-enterprises dealing in government
contracts are expected to pay approximately 4.3 per cent of the contract
value in order to secure it.
The
bribes required to obtain contracts appear much small for services (3.9
per cent) than for manufactured goods (6.7 per cent), the report
noted.
However,
formal sector firms paid more for corruption: 47 per cent of formal
firms claimed that informal gifts/payments were commonplace, compared to
33 per cent of micro-enterprises.
The report added that micro-enterprises have a greater mistrust of institutions than formal firms.
Indeed,
63 per cent of formal sector firms reported that the application of
laws was not consistent and predictable, compared to 72 per cent of
micro-enterprises.
In
addition, 41 per cent of formal firms reported that they had advanced
knowledge of informal payments/gifts, compared to 20 per cent of
micro-enterprises.
The
report studied business activities and investment potentials in 26
states namely: Adamawa; Akwa Ibom; Bayelsa; Benue; Borno; Delta; Ebonyi;
Edo; Ekiti; Gombe; Imo; Jigawa; Katsina and Kebbi.
Other
states covered in the report were - Kogi; Kwara; Nassarawa; Niger;
Ondo; Osun; Oyo; Plateau; Rivers; Taraba; Yobe and Zamfara.
The
World Bank Investment Climate Assessment report on Nigeria identified
corruption, access to finance, electricity outages, tax rates and gender
inequality as the major constraints to investment in Nigeria.
Source: The Nation
Police can’t find $620,000 bribe cash
Faruk and Femi
(THE NATION) - Where is the $620,000 bribe collected by House of Representatives member Farouk Lawan from businessman Femi Otedola?
The puzzle remained unresolved at the weekend, the government is set to file charges against the lawmaker.
Lawan was the chairman of the House adhoc committee on fuel subsidy probe. Also to be charged is the clerk of the committee, Mr. Borniface Emenalo.
The trial of the suspects may start without the cash as the government is bent on going ahead with the arraignment in the light of the weight of evidence at its disposal.
The Federal Government may file the charges this week, barring last-minute hitches.
The Anti-Corruption Network yesterday asked the government to also arraign Otedola, who said he handed Lawan the cash in a sting operation arraigned by security agents. Lawan accepted collecting the money but refused to surrender it, saying it is proof of Otedola’s pressure on him to remove the oil magnet’s company from the list of those indicted in the subsidy probe.
According to a source, the Special Task Force (STF) which investigated the case submitted its report to the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar and the Attorney-General of the Federation, Mohammed Adoke (SAN), without any trace of the bribe cash.
The source, however, claimed that “the evidence the police made available to the AGF were enough to sustain the prosecution of the suspects”.
The source added: “The STF team tried to locate the bribe sum, which is vital to the trial of the suspects, but it could not because of vested interests in the matter. This is a high-profile case with high-profile intrigues.
“But hope is not lost as there are other evidence ancillary to the fact that the bribe was given and taken.
“The prosecution may have to rely on some clips and statements made on oath by some of those interrogated. The STF did a good job and the investigation was far-reaching although without the bribe cash.
“With this investigation, you will appreciate that the Police did a thorough job.”
Asked if the police could determine whether the bribery was a sting operation or not, the source added: “A sister agency was involved and we presented the raw facts to the AGF which I cannot divulge.
“There are so many angles to this case; you have to wait for the trial to begin.”
A source said yesterday: “All hands are on deck to file charges against Lawan and Emenalo, pending the return of the lawmaker from the lesser Hajj.
“The two suspects may be arraigned before a high court by the government prosecutor this week.”
A source in the defence team said: “We are ready for the trial, let them go and file charges.”
Another source said: “As long as a sting operation could not be established by the police, the whole case will become flat.”
The Executive Secretary of Anti-Corruption Network, Mr. Dino Melaye, said the government should put Otedola on trial for the court to decide the guilty.
Melaye, a former member of the House of Representatives, said: “From what we have seen and heard, they have exempted the name of Mr. Femi Otedola from the list of those to be prosecuted.
“We are insisting that the three actors in the bribery saga (Otedola, Lawan and Emenalo) should be put on trial. The government should let the court determine whoever is guilty.
“Anything short of that, we are going to mobilise Nigerians against the trial of Lawan and Emenalo.”
Responding to a question, Melaye said the Network will resist plans to make Otedola a witness because “from police findings, they cannot call it a sting operation for lack of evidence.”
“If the government does not prosecute Otedola, it would amount to an attempt to water-down the case and acquit him.
“Nigerians are interested in this matter. Let the three suspects face trial and the proceedings of the court will enable them to have full insight into what transpired.
The choice of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN), as counsel for the state is completely unacceptable because he is the one standing in defence of ex-Speaker Dimeji Bankole and a Judge in the case of an alleged N6billion fraud.
“So, there is actually a conflict of interest. A man who is standing against the state cannot at the same time prosecute for the state. You cannot approbate and reprobate at the same time. And public interest should be considered in this matter.”
Melaye said: “We will stage a protest. We have a stake in this matter.”
But a source said: “The truth of the matter is that Chief Awomolo withdrew from the defence team of the former Speaker. The Network should have done its homework very well.
“Also, Awomolo has been handling landmark cases for the Federal Government, including being a counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He has a reputation that no one can tarnish at all.”
OLYMPICS: “No gold, no silver, no bronze, N2.3 bn down the drain”
By Onochie Anibeze in London
LAGOS (VANGUARD) —The story of Nigeria at the 2012 London Olympics is “No gold, no silver, no bronze, N2.3 billion down the drain.”
And now a top Nigerian sports official who is a member of an international sports federation wants the federal government to compel the sports ministry to account for how they spent the N2.3 billion government released for the Olympic Games which ended in London yesterday. He would not have his name on print.
He said the ministry should disclose how much they released to each sports association that presented a team to the Olympic Games. Athletics, Weightlifting, Taekwondo(athletes) Canoeing (one athlete), Wrestling, Basketball, Table Tennis and Boxing associations presented teams at the games. All the athletes were 51. The number of officials was still unknown as there were many who were not accredited and, consequently, were not useful to the athletes. They stayed in their hotels to watch the games on television. This irked the Nigerian official and he described the action of the ministry as “wasteful.”
He said it was necessary for the ministry to disclose the allocations to each association because of what he called “the wrong decisions” that partly affected Nigeria’s preparation to the games.
The official said the following: “Taekwondo that presented two athletes was given over N65m to prepare while Athletics that had over 100 athletes but which they pruned to 28 for the Olympics was given N131m. Basketball which had to travel to Venezuela for their qualifying tournament was given N75m for all their
preparation including the tournament in Venezuela. The rest of the sports did not get more than N500,000. And yet N2.3 billion was released for the Olympic games. But the money came in installments and it came so late that nothing much could be done with the last installment. This is not the way to prepare for the Olympic Games. The people who disbursed the money took wrong decisions and now the
athletes are saying that they did not prepare well. The ministry is to blame.”
A coach in one of the teams admitted that Nigeria lacked world class athletes and that even if more billions of money were approved the money would have still gone down the drain as “you cannot perform magic over night in sports, you build over a period of time.”
The last time Nigeria left the Olympic Games without a medal was 24 years ago in the Seoul Olympic Games of 1988.
LAGOS (VANGUARD) —The story of Nigeria at the 2012 London Olympics is “No gold, no silver, no bronze, N2.3 billion down the drain.”
And now a top Nigerian sports official who is a member of an international sports federation wants the federal government to compel the sports ministry to account for how they spent the N2.3 billion government released for the Olympic Games which ended in London yesterday. He would not have his name on print.
He said the ministry should disclose how much they released to each sports association that presented a team to the Olympic Games. Athletics, Weightlifting, Taekwondo(athletes) Canoeing (one athlete), Wrestling, Basketball, Table Tennis and Boxing associations presented teams at the games. All the athletes were 51. The number of officials was still unknown as there were many who were not accredited and, consequently, were not useful to the athletes. They stayed in their hotels to watch the games on television. This irked the Nigerian official and he described the action of the ministry as “wasteful.”
He said it was necessary for the ministry to disclose the allocations to each association because of what he called “the wrong decisions” that partly affected Nigeria’s preparation to the games.
Flags
of various nations, including Norway (C) and Nigeria (2nd-R), are
displayed during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympic Games
at Olympic Stadium on August 12, 2012 in London. Rio de Janeiro will
host the 2016 Olympic Games. AFP PHOTO
The official said the following: “Taekwondo that presented two athletes was given over N65m to prepare while Athletics that had over 100 athletes but which they pruned to 28 for the Olympics was given N131m. Basketball which had to travel to Venezuela for their qualifying tournament was given N75m for all their
preparation including the tournament in Venezuela. The rest of the sports did not get more than N500,000. And yet N2.3 billion was released for the Olympic games. But the money came in installments and it came so late that nothing much could be done with the last installment. This is not the way to prepare for the Olympic Games. The people who disbursed the money took wrong decisions and now the
athletes are saying that they did not prepare well. The ministry is to blame.”
A coach in one of the teams admitted that Nigeria lacked world class athletes and that even if more billions of money were approved the money would have still gone down the drain as “you cannot perform magic over night in sports, you build over a period of time.”
The last time Nigeria left the Olympic Games without a medal was 24 years ago in the Seoul Olympic Games of 1988.
Death toll from Sunday violence rises to 24
KANO (AFP) – A military raid, a shootout and an attack on police guarding a church in separate incidents in north left 24 dead, the latest violence in the restive region, officials said Monday.
The deadliest of the incidents occurred in the northeastern city of Maiduguri, when soldiers raided an alleged hideout of members of Islamist extremist group Boko Haram, leaving 21 people dead.
A military commander said those killed included 20 suspected Boko Haram members and one soldier. A purported spokesman for the Islamists said none of their members died and that civilians were the victims.
In Damaturu, also in the northeast, a military and police task force killed two suspected members of Boko Haram in a shootout and arrested more than 30 others, police said Monday.
“A joint military and police patrol team in Bindigari area of Damaturu came under gun attack on Sunday from suspected members of Boko Haram. Two of the gunmen were killed in a shootout,” police spokesman Toyin Gbadegesin said.
“They tried to ambush the patrol team but the security operatives suppressed them. More than 30 other suspected members of the sect were arrested.”
Residents said the shootout lasted more than five hours and that soldiers went door-to-door in search of the gunmen.
In Gombe, gunmen fired shots at a Roman Catholic church during mass, killing a policeman on guard and wounding his colleague before fleeing, parish priest William Ochai told AFP on Monday.
Boko Haram has been blamed for the deaths of more than 1,400 people since 2010 in attacks across northern and central Nigeria, according to a toll compiled by Human Rights Watch.
The US State Department in June designated the group’s suspected leader and two other Nigerian militants as global terrorists.
Sunday, 12 August 2012
Fuel subsidy fraud: FG, PDP panic as suspects threaten to expose deals
• Governors wade in to give suspects ‘soft landing’
• Proceeds allegedly used for 2011 polls
• How PPPRA receptionist, firm director got into trouble
(THE NATION) - There is an uneasy calm within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over threat by some of the fuel subsidy fraud suspects to open up in court on what the cash was used for.
Some of the suspects are bemoaning their fate, wondering why they are being prosecuted as they were allegedly used as fronts to source funds for the 2011 general elections
It was learnt that some of the suspects allegedly spent the cash to sponsor governorship elections in some states.
Uncomfortable with the development, some PDP governors have waded into the travails of the embattled suspects. The governors have assured the suspects of what an insider described as “soft-landing”. They have also promised to fund the litigation cost of the suspects by hiring for them crack defence counsels.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has so far arraigned 25 suspects (in two batches) in connection with alleged fuel subsidy fraud.
The first batch comprises seven companies and 13 individuals in relation to N13, 403,504,083billion.
The second group comprises five suspects.
Although the arraignment of the suspects was a bold statement by the government that there will be no sacred cows, the trial is causing some disquiet in the ruling PDP. The Presidency is said to be particularly bothered by the turn of events.
A reliable source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Some of these suspects were used as fronts by some businessmen, party bigwigs and a few government officials. In fact, there is a Sierra-Leonean among them and a confidant of a PDP chieftain went to secure bail for him.
“The only excuse the confidant gave is that the suspect is a friend to one of their children. But most people could read between the lines. I think the Sierra Leonean was just being protected to avoid opening of the can of worms.”
Though the source was convinced that a substantial part of the subsidy funds was used to fund the 2011 elections, he said this was without the knowledge of the Presidency. When the President got to know the magnitude of the subsidy fraud, he decided to take the bull by the horns, irrespective of whose ox is gored, he said.
“A syndicate within the oil sector came together to pool funds for the 2011 election to ensure that the PDP retained its firm grip of power. In fact, two or three of the suspects are known to some PDP governors as fronts in view of the roles they played in their election. The biggest challenge confronting these influential people borders on threats by some of the suspects to open up in court,” he said.
To opposition parties, however, the Presidency cannot claim not to know that the subsidy cash was being diverted to unworthy causes by people close to the PDP whose members were in charge of either the PPPRA or other agencies of the oil industry.
The Nation learnt that PDP chieftains are so worried about the backlash the trial of these suspects could have on the fortunes of their party in 2015 because some of them were innocent businessmen before they dabbled into politics to feather their business nest and became polluted.
“One of the suspects was alleged to have complained bitterly on why he had to be arraigned by the same PDP administration he had assisted to retain power in some states.
“The suspect also queried why he had to be singled out among other directors of his companies while others were shielded.
“Some governors have been trying to wade into the complaints by some of the suspects and how to ensure soft-landing for them. They seem not to know how to go about it, considering the fact that the subsidy scam has generated so much interest, including that of the international community. This has forced the governors to opt for Plan B by looking for crack defence team to handle the matter.
“Nobody could say whether the choice of crack lawyers would assuage the threats of these highly-placed suspects to open up or not when proper trial begins, “ he said.
A governor said: “There is no doubt that some of the suspects are known in power corridors unless we are all pretending. It is, however, courageous of the government to put them on trial to show to all that closeness does not amount to fraudulent acts.”
Fresh facts have, however, emerged on how a staff of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Fakuade Babafemi Ebenezer, and a director with Akintola Williams Deloite accounting firm, Ezekiel Olaleye Ejidele, got into trouble over the fuel subsidy scandal.
According to findings, while Ebenezer was a Facility Receptionist/Clerk for PPPRA where products are discharged, Ejidele was in charge of audit. Both suspects operated with officials of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and other agencies at the ports where products were discharged.
EFCC sources said they were arraigned for allegedly signing some papers indicating that some products were discharged whereas investigation proved the contrary.
It was, however, learnt that some oil chiefs are asking why some other officials involved in the management of The Petroleum Subsidy Fund (PSF) who also authenticated documents by suppliers have not been arraigned
A former Commissioner of Police said the conspiracy over subsidy fund fraud could be deeper than what the media are reporting.
He said: “The PSF management is a chain. Besides the PPPRA, others involved are the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank, the DPR, Budget Office, Petroleum Equalization Fund (PEF), and Oil Marketing Trading Companies.”
“All these so-called forged documents passed through many desks before payments were effected to the marketers. Where are those who managed these desks when the fraud was perpetrated?
“The principles of Petroleum Support Fund (PSF) are such that no single oil marketer could perpetrate fraud or divert funds without the collaboration of some people or desk officers in government.”
Eid Fitr: JTF launched preemptive strikes on militants hideout in Kano
(VANGUARD) KANO - The Joint Military Taskforce yesterday launched a pre-emptive
strike on the hideout of suspected Islamists Group allegedly planning
mayhem during the forthcoming Eid Fitr in Kano destroyed a bomb factory
that also serves as operational base of the insurgents at Tudun Bayero,
Gada Tamburawa outskirt of Kano metropolis..
However, no fewer than three suspects were picked up during the dawn operation that involved several troops, as large quantities of arms and ammunition were seized by the Nigerian troops during the dawn operations.
Briefing newsmen at the headquarters of 3 motorized Brigade, Nigeria Army Kano, the Kano Director of Department of State Service, DSS, Mr. Basssey Eteng revealed that the “Bomb factory cum operational base is located in an obscure area of Tudun Bayero village was initially used as a sachet water factory but rented and converted to poultry farm by the Islamist Group to shied their nefarious activities”.
“JTF conducted a pre emptive raid on suspected hideout of terrorist group planning to unleash mayhem in Kano during the forthcoming Eid Fitr and wish to inform you that it was a very successful operation hat yielded clues into our fight against terrorism”, Bassey Eteng revealed.
Eid Fitr which is barely 8 days on today is a Muslim festival celebrated worldwide to mark the end of a month long Ramadan fasting and Kano emirate usually celebrate it in colours by rolling out horses for durbar with the emir visiting designated quarters .
The long list of item seized by the troops during the operations
includes a laptop containing sensitive material, 6 maps, 12 primed bomb
cylinder, 9 unprimed, 12 handheld Improvised Explosive Device, 8 AK 47
magazines, 3 FN magazines, 1 SMG magazines, 2 pomp action, and 4 SMG
guns.
Other items recovered from the hideout includes 7.6 MATO 62 round, 9mm 65 rounds, 7.62 special438 rounds, 5.56mm 0f 184 rounds, 10 bags of Urea, 26 packs of long size banger, 64 packs of short size banger, 10 electronic detonator, army camouflage, banner with Arabic inscriptions, and masks.
Mr Bassey Eteng stated that “we have commenced robust investigation to unravel more facts and want to assured the public that we also have in our procession sufficient material that will aide the cause of our investigation”.
He tasked the general public to continue to offer their support by reporting suspected terrorist in their midst, assuring that the authority will continue to treat same with utmost confidentiality.
SEIZED WEAPONS OF MASS ATTACK
10 electronic detonators
12 handheld Improvised Explosive Device
12 primed bomb cylinders
9 unprimed bomb cylinders
8 AK 47 magazines
7.62 special, 438 rounds
5.56mm, 184 rounds
1 Sub-Machine-Gun magazines
2 pomp action
4 Sub-Machine-Guns
7.6 MATO, 62 round
9mm, 65 rounds
10 bags of Urea
26 packs of long-sized banger
64 packs of short-size banger
Laptop containing sensitive information
6 maps
3 FN magazines
Army camouflage
Banner with Arabic inscriptions
Masks
However, no fewer than three suspects were picked up during the dawn operation that involved several troops, as large quantities of arms and ammunition were seized by the Nigerian troops during the dawn operations.
Briefing newsmen at the headquarters of 3 motorized Brigade, Nigeria Army Kano, the Kano Director of Department of State Service, DSS, Mr. Basssey Eteng revealed that the “Bomb factory cum operational base is located in an obscure area of Tudun Bayero village was initially used as a sachet water factory but rented and converted to poultry farm by the Islamist Group to shied their nefarious activities”.
“JTF conducted a pre emptive raid on suspected hideout of terrorist group planning to unleash mayhem in Kano during the forthcoming Eid Fitr and wish to inform you that it was a very successful operation hat yielded clues into our fight against terrorism”, Bassey Eteng revealed.
Eid Fitr which is barely 8 days on today is a Muslim festival celebrated worldwide to mark the end of a month long Ramadan fasting and Kano emirate usually celebrate it in colours by rolling out horses for durbar with the emir visiting designated quarters .
*Some recovered ammunition
Other items recovered from the hideout includes 7.6 MATO 62 round, 9mm 65 rounds, 7.62 special438 rounds, 5.56mm 0f 184 rounds, 10 bags of Urea, 26 packs of long size banger, 64 packs of short size banger, 10 electronic detonator, army camouflage, banner with Arabic inscriptions, and masks.
Mr Bassey Eteng stated that “we have commenced robust investigation to unravel more facts and want to assured the public that we also have in our procession sufficient material that will aide the cause of our investigation”.
He tasked the general public to continue to offer their support by reporting suspected terrorist in their midst, assuring that the authority will continue to treat same with utmost confidentiality.
SEIZED WEAPONS OF MASS ATTACK
10 electronic detonators
12 handheld Improvised Explosive Device
12 primed bomb cylinders
9 unprimed bomb cylinders
8 AK 47 magazines
7.62 special, 438 rounds
5.56mm, 184 rounds
1 Sub-Machine-Gun magazines
2 pomp action
4 Sub-Machine-Guns
7.6 MATO, 62 round
9mm, 65 rounds
10 bags of Urea
26 packs of long-sized banger
64 packs of short-size banger
Laptop containing sensitive information
6 maps
3 FN magazines
Army camouflage
Banner with Arabic inscriptions
Masks
Saudi Arabia to Build World’s First Female-only City
Ever fancy a place where everybody is female? Certainly, a lot of guys will take it as their dream destination. But, before you get too excited, remember it is “no man’s land”. So you are not likely ever to be able to get there if you are not female.
This kind of city is what Saudi Arabia is planning to build. This is part of plans to give career minded women living in the Sharia law-abiding country of Saudi Arabia access to opportunities which their counterparts in other parts of the world have access to.
The municipality in the Eastern city of Hafuf is expected to attract 500 million riyals (£84m) in investments and it will create around 5,000 jobs in the textiles, pharmaceuticals and food processing industries. There will be women-run firms and production lines for women. Although Saudi Sharia law does not prohibit women to work figures show that only 15 per cent of women are represented in the workforce.
According to Modon’s deputy director-general, Saleh Al-Rasheed, “I’m sure that women can demonstrate their efficiency in many aspects and clarify the industries that best suits their interests, their nature and their ability… We are now working on a second industrial city for women… We have plans to establish a number of women-only industries in various parts of the kingdom.’”
Two earthquakes in Iran kill 300 and injure 2,600
Overcrowded hospitals in northwest Iran
struggled to cope with thousands of earthquake victims on Sunday and
rescuers raced to reach remote villages after two powerful quakes killed
nearly 300 people.
Thousands huddled in makeshift camps or slept in the street after
Saturday’s quakes in fear of more aftershocks, 60 of which had already
struck. A lack of tents and other supplies left them exposed to the
night chill, one witness told Reuters.
“I saw some people whose entire home was destroyed, and all their livestock killed,” Tahir Sadati, a local photographer, said by telephone. “People need help, they need warm clothes, more tents, blankets and bread.”
The worst damage and most casualties appeared to have been in rural villages around the towns of Ahar, Varzaghan and Harees, near the major city of Tabriz, Iranian media reported.
Tabriz resident Ahmad, 41, told Reuters his cousin living in a village near Ahar was killed and that his body had already been found.
“Nobody knows what happened to his wife and two daughters,” aged 4 and 7, Ahmad said. “We fear that if rescuers don’t get to them soon, they will lose their lives too if they’re still alive.”
But Iranian officials said rescue operations had ended by Sunday afternoon and that all those trapped beneath the rubble had been freed, Iran’s English-language Press TV reported.
Many villages are hard to reach by road, hindering rescue efforts. Hospitals in Tabriz, Ardabil and other cities nearby took in many of the injured, residents and Iranian media said, and there were long queues of survivors waiting to be treated.
“I wanted to go there last night to help but heard there was bad traffic and that it wasn’t safe enough,” Ahmad said. “People in those villages need help.”
Aidin, a Tabriz resident, said he went to give blood at a local hospital on Saturday and saw staff struggling to cope with the influx of patients. Most patients had been taken there by their families, he said, indicating a shortage of ambulances.
Ahar’s 120-bed hospital was full, said Arash, a college student and resident of the town. There were traffic jams on the narrow road between Ahar and Tabriz as victims tried to reach hospitals, he said by telephone.
VILLAGES DESTROYED
“People are scared and won’t go back into their houses because they fear the buildings aren’t safe.”
The U.S. Geological Survey measured Saturday’s first quake at 6.4 magnitude and said it struck 60 km (37 miles) northeast of the city of Tabriz, a trading hub far from Iran’s oil-producing areas and known nuclear facilities.
The second, measuring 6.3, struck 11 minutes later near Varzaghan, 49 km (30 miles) northeast of Tabriz.
More than 1,000 villages in the area were affected by the earthquakes, Ahmad Reza Shaji’i, a Red Crescent official, told the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA). About 130 villages suffered more than 70 percent damage, and 20 villages were completely destroyed, he said.
“We saw some villages that were truly destroyed,” said Sadati, the photographer who was documenting the quake aftermath. “One good thing was that the earthquake happened during the day, so many people were not in their homes. If it had happened at night the casualties would have been far worse.”
Close to 300 people were believed to be dead, said Reza Sadighi, Ahar’s local governor, Fars news agency said. Shaji’i told ISNA that 2,600 people are believed to be injured.
Nearly 100 ambulances and 1,100 Red Crescent workers were deployed, Shaji’i said, along with 44,000 food packages and 5,600 tents for shelter. The relief agency had enough supplies and most residents in the area had access to clean water but Shaji’i asked residents to donate cash to the relief effort.
Officials in Tehran extended condolences to the victims and declared two days of mourning to be held in the province, ISNA reported.
About 16,000 people in the quake-hit area have been given emergency shelter, Red Crescent official Mahmoud Mozafar told Mehr news agency.
Iranian lawmaker Mohammad Hassan-Nejad warned that if relief efforts did not speed up, the death toll would swiftly rise.
“Relief groups have still not reached many villages, because in normal conditions some of these villages are several hours away,” he told ISNA. “Currently the roads are closed and the only way to reach these villages is by air.”
COLLAPSED BUILDINGS
Photographs posted on Iranian news websites showed numerous bodies, including children, lying on the floor of a white-tiled morgue in Ahar and medical staff treating the injured in the open air as dusk fell on Saturday. Other images showed rescue workers digging people out of rubble – some alive, many dead.
Iran is crisscrossed by major fault lines and has suffered several devastating earthquakes in recent years, including a 6.6 magnitude quake in 2003 that reduced the historic southeastern city of Bam to dust and killed about 31,000 people.
Saturday’s quakes struck in East Azerbaijan province, a mountainous region that neighbours Azerbaijan and Armenia to the north. Buildings in Tabriz, the provincial capital, are substantially built and ISNA reported nobody in the city had been killed or hurt.
Homes and business premises in Iranian villages, however, are often made of concrete blocks or mud brick that can crumble and collapse in a strong quake.
Water, electricity, and phone lines in the area of Varzaghan are all down, further hindering rescue efforts, Iran’s English-language Press TV reported.
Tabriz residents left their homes and crowded the streets following the two quakes, those in the city said. “Everyone was scared last night,” a resident said by telephone. “They set up tents and were sleeping in the streets and in parks.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday expressing his sympathy and offering assistance, the Kremlin’s press-service said.
Pope Benedict XVI asked Christians to pray for the victims of the quakes.
Rescue teams search for victims in the earthquake-stricken village of Varzaghan in East Azarbaijan
“I saw some people whose entire home was destroyed, and all their livestock killed,” Tahir Sadati, a local photographer, said by telephone. “People need help, they need warm clothes, more tents, blankets and bread.”
The worst damage and most casualties appeared to have been in rural villages around the towns of Ahar, Varzaghan and Harees, near the major city of Tabriz, Iranian media reported.
Tabriz resident Ahmad, 41, told Reuters his cousin living in a village near Ahar was killed and that his body had already been found.
“Nobody knows what happened to his wife and two daughters,” aged 4 and 7, Ahmad said. “We fear that if rescuers don’t get to them soon, they will lose their lives too if they’re still alive.”
But Iranian officials said rescue operations had ended by Sunday afternoon and that all those trapped beneath the rubble had been freed, Iran’s English-language Press TV reported.
Many villages are hard to reach by road, hindering rescue efforts. Hospitals in Tabriz, Ardabil and other cities nearby took in many of the injured, residents and Iranian media said, and there were long queues of survivors waiting to be treated.
“I wanted to go there last night to help but heard there was bad traffic and that it wasn’t safe enough,” Ahmad said. “People in those villages need help.”
Aidin, a Tabriz resident, said he went to give blood at a local hospital on Saturday and saw staff struggling to cope with the influx of patients. Most patients had been taken there by their families, he said, indicating a shortage of ambulances.
Ahar’s 120-bed hospital was full, said Arash, a college student and resident of the town. There were traffic jams on the narrow road between Ahar and Tabriz as victims tried to reach hospitals, he said by telephone.
VILLAGES DESTROYED
“People are scared and won’t go back into their houses because they fear the buildings aren’t safe.”
The U.S. Geological Survey measured Saturday’s first quake at 6.4 magnitude and said it struck 60 km (37 miles) northeast of the city of Tabriz, a trading hub far from Iran’s oil-producing areas and known nuclear facilities.
The second, measuring 6.3, struck 11 minutes later near Varzaghan, 49 km (30 miles) northeast of Tabriz.
More than 1,000 villages in the area were affected by the earthquakes, Ahmad Reza Shaji’i, a Red Crescent official, told the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA). About 130 villages suffered more than 70 percent damage, and 20 villages were completely destroyed, he said.
“We saw some villages that were truly destroyed,” said Sadati, the photographer who was documenting the quake aftermath. “One good thing was that the earthquake happened during the day, so many people were not in their homes. If it had happened at night the casualties would have been far worse.”
Close to 300 people were believed to be dead, said Reza Sadighi, Ahar’s local governor, Fars news agency said. Shaji’i told ISNA that 2,600 people are believed to be injured.
Nearly 100 ambulances and 1,100 Red Crescent workers were deployed, Shaji’i said, along with 44,000 food packages and 5,600 tents for shelter. The relief agency had enough supplies and most residents in the area had access to clean water but Shaji’i asked residents to donate cash to the relief effort.
Officials in Tehran extended condolences to the victims and declared two days of mourning to be held in the province, ISNA reported.
About 16,000 people in the quake-hit area have been given emergency shelter, Red Crescent official Mahmoud Mozafar told Mehr news agency.
Iranian lawmaker Mohammad Hassan-Nejad warned that if relief efforts did not speed up, the death toll would swiftly rise.
“Relief groups have still not reached many villages, because in normal conditions some of these villages are several hours away,” he told ISNA. “Currently the roads are closed and the only way to reach these villages is by air.”
COLLAPSED BUILDINGS
Photographs posted on Iranian news websites showed numerous bodies, including children, lying on the floor of a white-tiled morgue in Ahar and medical staff treating the injured in the open air as dusk fell on Saturday. Other images showed rescue workers digging people out of rubble – some alive, many dead.
Iran is crisscrossed by major fault lines and has suffered several devastating earthquakes in recent years, including a 6.6 magnitude quake in 2003 that reduced the historic southeastern city of Bam to dust and killed about 31,000 people.
Saturday’s quakes struck in East Azerbaijan province, a mountainous region that neighbours Azerbaijan and Armenia to the north. Buildings in Tabriz, the provincial capital, are substantially built and ISNA reported nobody in the city had been killed or hurt.
Homes and business premises in Iranian villages, however, are often made of concrete blocks or mud brick that can crumble and collapse in a strong quake.
Water, electricity, and phone lines in the area of Varzaghan are all down, further hindering rescue efforts, Iran’s English-language Press TV reported.
Tabriz residents left their homes and crowded the streets following the two quakes, those in the city said. “Everyone was scared last night,” a resident said by telephone. “They set up tents and were sleeping in the streets and in parks.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a telegram to Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday expressing his sympathy and offering assistance, the Kremlin’s press-service said.
Pope Benedict XVI asked Christians to pray for the victims of the quakes.
Gunmen attacked church in Gombe, killed policeman
Gombe – Gunmen on Sunday morning attacked the All Saints
Catholic Church, Kanoyel in Gombe State, killing a policeman who was on
duty at the church.
A source said that the gunmen arrived at the church premises when the parishioners were coming out of the service and fired at the policemen.
The source said the gunmen also tried to gain entry into the church but that the parishioners shut the gate.
Rev. Fr. Williams Ochai, the Parish Priest of Church, told NAN that the gunmen opened fire on the policemen deployed to guard the church during the mass.
According to him, as soon as the parishioners heard the gun shots, they immediately shut the gate to the church.
He, however, said one of the policemen died instantly while the other sustained serious injuries.
Reacting to the incidence, the Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Gombe State, Rev. Abare Kalla, described it as unfortunate.
Kalla said CAN had an information that there would be an attack but did not know where it would occur, adding that security agents were informed.
The chairman said the aim of the attackers was to gain entry into the church but that they could not succeed because of the fence.
He confirmed that a policeman deployed to the area was killed in the incident while another sustained injuries.
Kalla commiserated with the family of the policeman and prayed for the recovery of the injured.
When contacted, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, told NAN on phone that he was in Abuja.
He directed reporters to the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Fwaje Atajiri, a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
“I have been promoted to the position of an Assistant Inspector-General of Police and I am now in Abuja for that purpose. So, get in touch with my PPRO,’’ he said.
Fwaje, however, on phone said that it was only the Commissioner that would comment on the issue. (NAN)
A source said that the gunmen arrived at the church premises when the parishioners were coming out of the service and fired at the policemen.
The source said the gunmen also tried to gain entry into the church but that the parishioners shut the gate.
Rev. Fr. Williams Ochai, the Parish Priest of Church, told NAN that the gunmen opened fire on the policemen deployed to guard the church during the mass.
According to him, as soon as the parishioners heard the gun shots, they immediately shut the gate to the church.
He, however, said one of the policemen died instantly while the other sustained serious injuries.
Reacting to the incidence, the Chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Gombe State, Rev. Abare Kalla, described it as unfortunate.
Kalla said CAN had an information that there would be an attack but did not know where it would occur, adding that security agents were informed.
The chairman said the aim of the attackers was to gain entry into the church but that they could not succeed because of the fence.
He confirmed that a policeman deployed to the area was killed in the incident while another sustained injuries.
Kalla commiserated with the family of the policeman and prayed for the recovery of the injured.
When contacted, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr Ibrahim Abdullahi, told NAN on phone that he was in Abuja.
He directed reporters to the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Fwaje Atajiri, a Deputy Superintendent of Police.
“I have been promoted to the position of an Assistant Inspector-General of Police and I am now in Abuja for that purpose. So, get in touch with my PPRO,’’ he said.
Fwaje, however, on phone said that it was only the Commissioner that would comment on the issue. (NAN)
City beat 10 man Chelsea to lift Charity Shield
Manchester City scored three second-half goals to beat 10-man Chelsea 3-2 on Sunday in a high tempo Community Shield, the traditional start to the English football season.
Yaya Toure, Carlos Tevez and Samir Nasri gave City its first win since 1972 in the annual curtain raiser between Premier League champion City and FA Cup holder Chelsea.
The match was marred by eight yellow cards and a straight red for Branislav Ivanovic for a sliding tackle into Aleksandar Kolarov’s shin with raised studs.
Fernando Torres and Ryan Bertrand scored the first and last goals of the match for Chelsea.
The London Olympics forced the game to be moved to Villa Park from Wembley Stadium, where the final of the Men’s football was staged 24 hours earlier.
City suffered a heartbreak last season in the charity match when they were defeated by city rivals United 3-2. City had taken a two goal lead into the break before losing to three second half United goals.
Source: Channels tv
Eye Witness Claims LASTMA Official Was Not Killed By Banker But By Danfo Driver
The banker, according to the traffic authority, was said to have been driving against traffic along Lekki-Ajah expressway when she was accosted by the now-deceased 33-year-old LASTMA official.
According to the General Manager of the traffic management authority, Mr. Babatunde Edu, “The driver, whose identity was revealed by the auto inspector device as Yinka Johnson, an employee of IBTC, drove in a green LandRover Jeep with registration number CY 276 LSD against traffic from Mega Chicken inward toll plaza two.
“She was intercepted by three officials of LASTMA led by the head of Operations, Mr. Quayum Asafa, for traffic violation. Johnson started driving recklessly in order to escape and in the process ran over the officer.
“The deceased was rushed to Germaine Hospital where he later died as a result of injury sustained from the accident. The corpse was deposited at the Lagos State Teaching Hospital, Ikeja for autopsy.
“The situation became riotous as the security attached to the gate refused all entreaties to open the gate until the intervention of the area commander in charge of Area J, Mr. Felix Uwamli, who called for backup before access could be gained into the estate.”
Eye-witnesses at the scene of the incident however say that the official was hit by a Danfo driver and not the banker whose car was stationary when the incident happened.
Doyin Akinlade, a Lagos TV producer, who claimed to be privy to the circumstances leading to her arrest, spoke to YNaija saying that “the LASTMA authorities, for some unexplained reasons are trying to pin the alleged crime on Yinka Johnson whose car was not even moving at the time Hammed Balogun was hit. She did not even see the man being hit.”
He agreed that the banker violated the law by driving against traffic but he insisted that it was not true that she hit the official. He also noted that there was no sign of impact on her car but the said Danfo had its windscreen broken.
Yinka Johnson is a of mother three, including a two month old baby who is reported to be held with her in detention.
JTF kills 20 Boko Haram members in Maiduguri
Officers of the Joint Task Force (JTF) in Maiduguri on Sunday killed 20 suspected members of fundamentalist sect, Boko Haram, in a shoot-out in the troubled capital of Borno state.
A JTF source who does not want his name mentioned, confirmed to Channels Television in Maiduguri, that security forces got an intelligence report that the sect members were having a meeting at a particular location in the metropolis.
He disclosed that as the JTF officers approached the venue, the sect members opened fire; killing one soldier while two others sustained injuries.
But according to the source, the military officers fought back and the gun duel led to the killing of all the sect members in the meeting. .
The source also revealed that a 2001 Toyota Camry car, allegedly stolen for a planned bombing mission by a suicide bomber, was recovered in Maiduguri metropolis.
The Camry, according to him, was abandoned by the suspects and in the vehicle, were explosive devices which revealed the driver was on a suicide bombing mission.
On sighting the security forces on his trail, the suspected bomber abandoned the car and ran away.
Channels Television correspondent in Maiduguri, Jonathan Gopep, reports that some roads were blocked within the metropolis on Sunday as severe searches were being carried out by the JTF on all vehicles.
Earlier in the day, a similar gun battle, occurred between security forces and suspected Boko Haram members at the Bundigari-Powari ward of Damaturu, the Yobe state capital.
Source: Channels tv
Power supply: Worst days over —FG
Minister of Power, Prof. Bart Nnaji
(PUNCH) - The Ministry of Power has said the recent improvement in power supply would be maintained to meet international standards.
It also said the Federal Government will not relent in its reformation of the sector despite “sabotage by a cabal.”
The ministry also denied
media reports that the Shiroro Dam which supplies water to the Shiroro
Hydro Power Station was shut down by the workers union.
A statement by the
Special Assistant, Media, to the Minister of Power, Mr. Ogbuagu Anikwe,
read, “The reports were obviously planted by a handful of professional
trade unionists in the leadership of the National Union of Electricity
Employees, who do not consider anything sacred in their self-assigned
mission of agitation and propaganda against the ongoing power sector
reform.
“We would like to assure
all Nigerians that the worst days are over as far as electricity is
concerned. The current improvement is not irreversible. The programme
for power development in Nigeria to international standards is very much
on course, and the whole world is convinced that Nigeria is finally on
the right electricity track.”
It further said the
facility performed better than the 760mw-Kainji hydro power plant built
in 1968, which had not been overhauled till date. It added that the
station was a major contributor to the unprecedented 4,237mw on the
national grid and the 70mw reserve generated since August 7, 2012
Police loot in Okene, burn shops •Nothing like that happened - PPRO
(NIGERIAN TRIBUNE) - IT
has been alleged that Mobile Police men drafted to Okene in Kogi State
to ensure law and order after the Monday and Tuesday killings were
looting shops and setting some ablaze.
While the soldiers maintained peace, embarking on stop and search, Mobile Police men allegedly engaged in looting shops after forcefully breaking the doors and carted away goods worth several millions of naira.
An eye witness disclosed to Sunday Tribune that the Mobile Police men also assaulted innocent people, particularly commercial vehicles traveling across the town to another state.
Sunday Tribune gathered that owners of the shops were helpless as the men shot sporadically to scare onlookers away from the scene.
Others averred that commercial bus drivers were forced to jump, while passengers had to trek many miles before they were allowed to go.
When Sunday Tribune called on the Police Public Relations Officer of Kogi State, Police Command, Mr. Ile Simon, he said nothing like that ever happened in the state.
Meanwhile the Ohinoye of Ebira land, Alhaji Dr. Ado Ibrahim, has summoned traditional rulers in Kogi Central, asking them to find lasting solution to the security problem presently confronting the area.
Sunday Tribune reliably gathered that the Ohinoyi has mandated all the traditional rulers to cooperate with security agents presently in the area.
While the soldiers maintained peace, embarking on stop and search, Mobile Police men allegedly engaged in looting shops after forcefully breaking the doors and carted away goods worth several millions of naira.
An eye witness disclosed to Sunday Tribune that the Mobile Police men also assaulted innocent people, particularly commercial vehicles traveling across the town to another state.
Sunday Tribune gathered that owners of the shops were helpless as the men shot sporadically to scare onlookers away from the scene.
Others averred that commercial bus drivers were forced to jump, while passengers had to trek many miles before they were allowed to go.
When Sunday Tribune called on the Police Public Relations Officer of Kogi State, Police Command, Mr. Ile Simon, he said nothing like that ever happened in the state.
Meanwhile the Ohinoye of Ebira land, Alhaji Dr. Ado Ibrahim, has summoned traditional rulers in Kogi Central, asking them to find lasting solution to the security problem presently confronting the area.
Sunday Tribune reliably gathered that the Ohinoyi has mandated all the traditional rulers to cooperate with security agents presently in the area.
How Evil Brothers kill okada rider
By SUNDAY ANI (nichsunny@yahoo.com)
Mathias Idoko is not a happy man right now. The 60-year-old native of Ogrute, Enugu-Ezike, in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, is mourning the violent death of his 39-year-old son, Festus Ali, who until his death eked out a living riding commercial motorcycle otherwise known as okada. He was murdered in cold blood about 10 p.m. on July 6 this year.
Before his untimely death, he was married with three children. His wife is heavy with pregnancy and is due to deliver in a matter of weeks. Festus would never set his eyes on the new baby because his supposed customer and friend brutally murdered him.
Narrating how he was killed, his father, Mathias, said: “My son was a commercial motorcyclist. He was married with three children and his wife (widow) is about eight months pregnant. We were told the man who murdered my son called him on phone to convey him home because they knew each other quite well. When he got there, the man, Ifeanyi Nwaurama, realising that it was too early in the night to carry out his evil intention, took him to a joint where they drank till late into the night before he asked my son to take him to his girlfriend’s house at Umu-Agama.
“While on his way to Umu-Agama, our kitchen went up in flames and his wife called him to inform him of the development, and that was the last conversation he had with us. After the trip to his killer’s girlfriend’s house, his killer asked him to take him to his house at Aji. My son didn’t suspect any danger; he didn’t know that Ifeanyi was hiding a hammer in a polythene bag inside his trousers pocket, covered by his shirt. So, as soon as he dropped him and turned his motorcycle to leave, Ifeanyi allegedly brought out the hammer and hit him on the head from behind. He screamed, fell down and died instantly, while Ifeanyi dragged the motorcycle to his house and his elder brother brought water and washed off blood stains splashed all over the motorcycle.
“He had actually succeeded in his evil act without anybody seeing him, but when he went back to the scene of the murder to take the body away from the road leading to his house, members of the Aji vigilance group saw and called him by his name. He ran away. His elder brother was arrested by the vigilance group while trying to remove the number plate of the motorcycle in order to replace it with another so that nobody would recognise it. He is currently in detention over the alleged murder. Ifeanyi is still on the run.”
However, the slain Festus’ mother, Christiana Ali, in her own account, said: “After the dinner, I had gone to bed when I heard people shouting. When I came out, it was my kitchen that was on fire. I told my son’s wife to call and inform him of what was happening. When she called him, he asked her if the incident was serious and she said yes. That was probably when he was coming out of Umu-Agama to go to Aji, because he told his wife that he would soon be home.
When we didn’t see him, I asked his wife to call him again, and when she dialled his number somebody answered the phone and said her husband was being held captive somewhere. The voice told his wife that it was not time for him to speak and that when it was time he would speak to the wife. When it was 1 a.m. we called the number again and they told us he had been kidnapped and demanded a ransom. When we asked where to deposit the money, the voice said they had killed him and asked us to go to Ugwu-Aji where his body had been dropped. When we got there, we saw his body and a hammer on his chest. It was then that some people who saw what happened told us how they wanted to catch the killer but could not before he escaped.
Information came later that his killer was at Igoro and before the search party could get to the place, he had disappeared. The body is still in the mortuary pending the outcome of investigation. The suspect’s elder brother is in detention while the police continue to hunt for him,” Christiana Ali said.
For his pregnant wife and mother of three, Obioma, it was wailing and wailing and wailing. She was inconsolable. She only managed to tell our reporter that the dreaded black curtain had fallen on her eight-year-old marriage when she least expected. “Who would train the three children plus the one in my womb.” She continued to mutter as tears streamed down her cheeks. If only tears could bring back the dead, Festus would have come back to life because of his wife’s tears. When asked to narrate what happened, she broke down, her body shaking in paroxysms of grief.
Sources said the alleged killer, Ifeanyi, who claimed to be a businessman based in Onitsha, Anambra State, has about 13 motorcycles he acquired by killing the owners and taking their motorcycles to Onitsha where he gave them to people to ride on commercial basis for daily returns to him. They alleged that he had been engaged in this evil for some time, but the killing of Festus finally exposed his source of wealth.
He is currently on the run, while the police are on his trail. His elder brother, who is now in detention, is also believed to be an accomplice in the evil act. He, it was who washed off stains of blood from the motorcycle when his brother took it home after killing Festus. He was also seen trying to remove the number plate and replace it with another so as to avoid detection when the Aji Vigilance group swooped on him.
When our reporter visited the family house of the suspects at Aji in Enugu-Ezike, the place was deserted.
Confirming the incident, Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, Ebere Amaraizu, said investigation into the matter was ongoing. He said the police would get to the roots of the matter and prosecute whoever the culprits are.
Source: The Sun
Evil prophet exposed
•Book of Satan, charms, fingernails recovered from church
•’He’s custodian of family idols’
•Patronized by top civil servants, businessmen
From DAVID ONWUCHEKWA, Nnewi
A 55-year-old prophet and founder of a popular sabbath Church in Inyaba Umudim, Nnewi, in Anambra State, narrowly escaped a lynch mob recently following his alleged role in the death of family members and discovery of fetish objects in his church.
On the long list of items found inside the prophet’s church were charms of various sizes and shapes, idols, human hairs, fingernails, chains and a register containing more than 30 names.
Checks by Sunday Sun revealed that it took the timely intervention of policemen to save the prophet (names withheld) from the wrath of angry youths in the community.
Village sources stated that the prophet’s journey to disgrace started when he invited a native doctor from neighbouring Umuenem Otolo, Nnewi, to the family house penultimate Monday, to prove his innocence following allegations that he was responsible for the death of some of his family members and some strange happenings in recent times. The latest casualty was a female member of the family who died mysteriously and was buried a few weeks ago.
The incantations of the native doctor was said to have attracted the attention of one of the prophet’s sister-in-laws whose childlessness had also been linked to him.
The woman who alleged that she was repeatedly mentioned by the native doctor, alerted her husband on phone, and on arrival, the man and some family members ordered the native doctor to leave the family compound but were ignored by the guest and his host.
It was gathered that it took threats from the youth who were attracted to the scene of the argument that ensued, to get the native doctor out of the place.
Thereafter, some of the prophet’s kinsmen who were no longer comfortable with his activities in the community decided to search his house and the church. The search party was said to have been astonished at what they found in the two places.
Sources told Sunday Sun that apart from several idols found in one of the rooms in the house of the prophet who was said to be the custodian of his family’s idols, some scary items were also discovered inside the church that he founded about 20 years ago.
They included a book of Satan, charms of various shapes and sizes, people’s photographs, fingernails and some human hairs.
Other items found by the search party were idols, chains, animal hoofs, gallons of chemicals and a register containing more that 30 names.
All the items were later set ablaze by the angry youths who later attempted to lynch the prophet but for the timely intervention of law enforcement agents.
When contacted, the spokesman of the State Police Command, Mr Ebube Chukwuemeka, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said that he was yet to receive any report on the incident.
One of the worshipers in the prophet’s church who pleaded anonymity, told Sunday Sun that many notable civil servants and businessmen from within and outside Anambra State, usually patronize the church for charms and prayers.
Culled from The Sun
Ex-commissioner kills wife over stew
By SUNDAY ANI (nichsunny@yahoo.com)
When Mathias Eze of Umu-Aji village in Umuida, and Patricia Ossai of Imufu, both in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State got married, little did Patricia know that her heartthrob would end her sojourn on earth in the most gruesome manner 16 years after their marital union.
But on Saturday, July 21, 2012, Mathias, a former Commissioner in the Enugu State Independent Electoral (ENSIEC), tragically ended the union that had produced six lovely children with an alleged gunshot over his wife’s failure to prepare stewed rice for the day’s supper.
The father of the deceased, Elder Alphonsus Ossai, now a shadow of himself, told Sunday Sun the tale of his daughter’s forced death as was narrated to him by the late Patricia’s 15-year-old daughter, Uju, who witnessed the incident that night.
“On Saturday, July 21, 2012, at about 8pm, according to my grand-daughter and Patricia’s first child, because I was not there, he (Mathias) came back with a grass- cutter and asked his wife to prepare it, and left the house again. My daughter cooked the meat and when he came back again at about 10 pm and demanded for the cooked meat, she gave it to him. He asked her to give him rice and stew but my daughter told him she didn’t cook rice. What she cooked was ‘Otipiri,’ a local delicacy made from maize. “He flared up and questioned why she didn’t prepare rice and stew with the meat; but my daughter pleaded that she had started cooking the maize delicacy when he returned with the meat. He then went to his second wife who hails from Ibagwa in Igbo-Eze South Local Government Area, and asked her what she cooked for the night and that one told him that she prepared yam porridge.
“At that point, he became livid and threatened that he was going to shoot two of them if they didn’t go back to the kitchen to prepare rice and stew that night. The two women pleaded with him to understand that it was too late in the night and there was no more firewood in the house. Besides, it rained heavily that night. They thought they had placated him and tried to recharge their handsets, but he warned them not to do so since they refused to cook stewed rice for him. They didn’t take his threat seriously.
“It was at that stage that he dashed into his room, came out with a double-barrel gun and pursued them. The second wife was the first to see him with the gun and she alerted my daughter but he had already closed in on them. The other wife ran out of the compound while my daughter hid at a corner of their kitchen because at that time, the generator had been switched off, so the entire compound was enveloped in darkness. But he quickly embarked on a search mission with the first son by his first wife who had died many years ago.
“He had given up the search and was going back when his son, who had finished secondary school, spotted my daughter and alerted him. He called his father to come and see the ‘idiot,’ referring to his father’s wife, my daughter. The man came there and aimed at my daughter who was then pleading profusely with him to spare her life but all her entreaties fell on deaf ears as he fired at her killing her instantly.”
The distraught father, who fought hard to control tears rolling down his cheeks as he spoke, alleged that when Mathias who works with the Enugu Sate Post Primary School Management Board (PPSMB), saw that he had shot his wife dead, he put her inside the boot of his car and drove to a near-by hospital in Ogurute.
According to him, the suspect told the hospital workers, that armed robbers came to his house and while he was exchanging gunfire with them, stray bullet hit his wife down.
Patricia’s younger sister, Edith, and her elder brother, Johnson corroborated their father’s account of the incident and wondered why an infinitesimal issue such as failure to cook a particular meal could lead to such a dastardly act.
Edith said: “I feel terribly sad that a man could be that bestial to his own beloved wife; the bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh as the Bible tells us. It beat my imagination. It was a rude shock when I heard the news.”
Also in a fury-filled tone, Johnson said: “I feel very sad that my sister is lying cold in the mortuary. I live in Lokoja in Kogi State, but I am home because my sister’s husband shot and killed her in cold blood. My sister begged and begged that her life be spared but he adamantly shot and wasted her life just like that. She had six children for him; four boys and two girls. I am very sad because I can’t see why he should be that bloodthirsty. I feel that government should mete out appropriate punishment to him to serve as a deterrent.”
When Sunday Sun visited the country-home of the suspect at Umu-Aji in Umuida, the house was deserted. Checks revealed that he had been taken to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), at the Police Headquarters in Enugu.
Women who live in the neighbourhood confirmed the incident and described Mathias as a very harsh man who didn’t allow his wives to relate with other people. They said his wives rarely came out adding that he was a male chauvinist who believed that women should only be seen and not be heard.
Another native who preferred anonymity, described him as, “a very wicked man who derives pleasure in inflicting pains on people.” He alleged that the suspect once threatened to drown his late first wife because she denied him sex.
Also, a young lady in the community narrated how a girl he had married, ran away and was later forced to cough out N150,000 that the suspect claimed, as expenses he incurred during the marriage ceremony.
“The girl had to take up a paid employment and started paying back until she paid to the last kobo. It’s just that the girl is now in Lagos; otherwise, I would have asked you to go to her to hear more about the man. He is wicked and people are afraid of him because he has money.”
Efforts by Sunday Sun correspondent to speak with Mr Eze drew blank as the police did not allow him to see the suspect.
But investigation revealed that Eze gave two different accounts on how he allegedly killed his wife. He was said to have told the staffers of the hospital where he took his wife’s corpse to, that he killed her in error during a gun duel with robbers that attacked his house. It was also gathered that the suspect later told the police at Ogrute that he noticed strange movement inside the bush behind his compound and because there was no light, he suspected that it could be an armed robber, and fired his gun only to discover that he had killed his wife.
When the State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Ebere Amaraizu, was contacted on phone, he confirmed the incident.
“We are aware of the incident that involved one Mathias Eze who was alleged to have shot and killed his wife. I can assure you that investigations are on-going and we shall get to the bottom of the matter. The police would do everything necessary to ensure that justice was done at the end of the day”, he said.
Culled From The Sun
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